SIO15: Natural Disasters

Source: Steve Newman at the San Diego Union Tribune

Earthwatches

November 28, 2011

November 21, 2011

November 14, 2011

November 07, 2011

October 31, 2011

October 24, 2011

October 17, 2011

October 10, 2011

May 23, 2011

May 16,2011

May 9, 2011

May 2, 2011

April 25, 2011

April 11, 2011

April 18, 2011

April 4, 2011

March 28, 2011

March 14, 2011

March 7, 2011

February 28, 2011

February 21, 2011

February 14, 2011

January 31, 2011

January 24, 2011

January 17, 2011

January 10, 2011

November 28, 2011 (for week ending November 25th)

Earthquakes:

• A sharp earthquake centered in far northwestern Myanmar also rocked neighboring parts of Bangladesh and northeastern India. The 5.9-magnitude shaking sent residents across a wide area rushing into the streets.
• A magnitude 6.2 temblor jolted much of Bolivia and neighboring parts of Chile and Peru.
• Earth movements were also felt in northeastern Japan [magnitude 5.1] and the desert resorts of Southern California [3.9].



Tropical cyclone:

• Late-season Hurricane Kenneth underwent explosive intensification over the warm Pacific waters off Acapulco. The storm attained Category 4 force just over 24 hours after becoming a hurricane, packing maximum sustained winds of approximately 145 mph.



Mexican ash plume:

Mexico's Popocatepetl volcano exploded with a burst of ash that soared three miles into the air about 40 miles southeast of Mexico City. The country's National Disaster Prevention Center said that the explosion resulted from a fracture bursting through the lava dome at Popocatepetl's summit. The ash plume was clearly visible from the heart of the capital district, which is home to about 20 million people. But officials said the ash did not pose a significant threat to anyone living in the region. The volcano has been erupting intermittently since December 1994.



La Niña rebounds:

The La Niña ocean-cooling phenomenon in the tropical Pacific has returned after a near disappearance in May, prompting warnings of a prolonged African drought and other global weather shifts. The World Meteorological Organization cautions that La Niña conditions could strengthen to moderate intensity, but should be much weaker than the near-record occurrence of late 2010 and early 2011. The ocean cooling often causes greater rainfall in the southern Pacific and southern Africa nations, but can also bring drought to parts of East Africa, southwest Asia and the southern United States. WMO also predicted that this winter could bring frigid blasts to the eastern United States, similar to those unleashed last winter by the separate phenomenon known as the Arctic oscillation.



Japan radiation spreads:

A division of the Japan Meteorological Agency announced that up to 80 percent of the radioactive contamination from March's Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster fell into the ocean, but the remaining airborne material circled the planet on jet stream winds. The Meteorological Research Institute said its computer simulations calculated that radioactive materials, including cesium-137, were blown northeastward beginning March 11 toward Russia's Far East and Alaska before mainly falling into the Pacific. It estimates that what minute amounts of contamination that remained in the atmosphere blew over the Pacific coast of the United States around March 17. The diluted amounts of radioactive particles still aloft after that are believed to have completed their first round-the-globe trip by March 24, the institute said.



Climate extremes:

A new study by 220 scientists from around the world reveals that climate change brought on by human activity has already amplified heat waves as well as downpours similar to those responsible for recent catastrophic flooding. The report, published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), was released days before the start of U.N. climate talks in Durban, South Africa. "We can actually attribute the increase of hot days in the past few years to an increase in greenhouse gases," said IPCC co-chair Thomas Stocker. He told reporters that it is "virtually certain that increases in the frequency and magnitude of warm daily temperature extremes, and decreases in cold extremes, will occur in the 21st century."



Smog glue:

To avoid London being hit with stiff fines for exceeding European Commission air quality standards, Mayor Boris Johnson is resorting to spraying down roadways with an adhesive designed to trap air pollution near the source. The scheme is drawing sharp criticism from scientists, but Johnson calls his fleet of three smog-busting trucks "wonderful contraptions." After the roads are swept and jet-washed following the evening rush hour, the trucks spray a solution of calcium and water on about 20 miles of London's most polluted stretches of roadway. Soot particles from exhaust, brakes and tires called PM10s stick to the film, allegedly helping to prevent asthma and other health problems, albeit in a very small area. "As a health research scientist, I am just aghast that they are trying to hide the problem in this way," professor Frank Kelly of King's College London told The Guardian. The Green Party claims it's no coincidence that the one air monitoring station used by the mayor to report to the commission is on one of the routes being sprayed.


• Extreme Temperatures: -52°F Vostok, Antarctica; + 110°F Vredendal, South Africa

November 21, 2011 (for week ending November 18th)

Earthquakes:

• A magnitude-4.7 quake struck the same area of eastern Turkey already heavily damaged by two more powerful temblors during the past month.
• Earth movements were also felt in Indonesia's Molucca Sea region [magnitude 6.6] and Papua province [5.8], northern New Zealand 4.1], southeastern Texas [3.3] and along the western Nebraska-South Dakota border [3.7].



Island building:

An undersea volcano continued to roil the waters near the westernmost of the Canary Islands, expelling material that appears to be creating a new island. Volcanologists said the mouth of the volcano off El Hierro had risen to just 230 feet below the ocean's surface, and the force of the eruption was tossing debris as high as 65 feet above the surface of the Atlantic. Toxic gas from the rising seabed vent has killed fish and other wildlife in the area.



Daily climate chaos:

A new and detailed study of recent effects of climate change on day-to-day weather reveals that wide swings between stormy and dry conditions are more common now than during the early 1980s. Using a new program that allows daily worldwide weather to be evaluated, Princeton geoscience professor David Medvigy found that daily weather has grown increasingly erratic and extreme worldwide. Writing in the Journal of Climate, he and colleagues say that wider fluctuations in sunshine and rainfall are now affecting more than a third of the planet. Most previous research into climate change has focused on time scales that deal in months, years or decades. "Monthly averages reflect a misty world that is a little rainy and cloudy every day. That is very different from the weather of our actual world, where some days are very sunny and dry," Medvigy says.



Europe fallout mystery:

Officials in five European nations report exceptional but very low levels of radiation in the air from a source yet to be identified. Initial reports of iodine-131 measuring a few microbecquerels per cubic meter came out of the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Austria. French officials later said the radioactive isotope was also detected at four monitoring stations across the north and east of the country. France's Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety said that since iodine-131 is so short-lived, with a half-life of only eight days, it is unlikely to have come from Japan's crippled nuclear power plant at Fukushima. The agency speculated that the source could be a reactor used to generate electricity or conduct research, or a plant using iodine-131 to make medical devices.



Primate slaughter:

At least 750 endangered orangutans have been killed within a year's time by humans living on the Indonesian side of Borneo, according to a new survey.Erik Meijaard, senior science adviser at The Nature Conservancy of Canada, and colleagues found that the primates were illegally slaughtered to protect crops from being raided as well as for their meat. Indonesia is home to about 90 percent of the world's wild orangutan population, and was once covered by lush rain forests. But widespread deforestation during the past 50 years has resulted in most of the remaining 50,000 to 60,000 apes living in a scattered patchwork of forests. This has increasingly forced them into conflict with the expanding human population.



Springlike fall:

Balmy weather across Britain this autumn has caused nature to go topsy-turvy. Temperatures well above normal through October and early November have prompted poppies to bloom, frogs to croak for mates, tomatoes to ripen in garden pots and crickets to chirp at dusk, according to The Guardian. While most British residents can attest to the earlier and earlier arrival of spring as the climate has warmed over the past decades, this autumn has seen prolonged signs of summer wildlife, such as dragonflies, grass snakes and flowers more typical in spring. Professional nature watcher Richard Bullock told the paper that the late autumnal warmth has "fooled a few things into thinking spring's turned up early again - forgetting the fact they haven't had a winter."


• Killer spa treatment:
  Killer whales that migrate rapidly from off Antarctica to tropical waters far to the north may be seeking spa-like relief from the icy waters, according to U.S. researchers. Scientists from NOAA made the observation after monitoring the marine mammals as they traveled more than 5,000 miles to visit the tropical waters off southern Brazil and Uruguay before swiftly swimming back to Antarctica 42 days later. "The whales are traveling so quickly, and in such a consistent track, that it is unlikely they are foraging for food or giving birth," said NOAA researcher John Durban. He points out that the yellowish coating of algae often observed on the whales' skin is noticeably absent when they return from their warm-water sojourns.


• Extreme Temperatures: -59°F Vostok, Antarctica; + 110°F Dampier, W. Australia

November 14, 2011 (for week ending November 11th)

Earthquakes:

• At least seven people perished as buildings collapsed during a sharp [magnitude 5.6] quake that rocked the same area of eastern Turkey damaged by a stronger temblor on Oct. 23.
• Oklahoma's most powerful earthquake on record (magnitude 5.6) damaged more than a dozen homes about 40 miles east of Oklahoma City.
• At least 16 people were injured when a 5.0 magnitude temblor damaged buildings around the southern Philippines city of Valencia.
• Earth movements were also felt in eastern Afghanistan and neighboring parts of India, Pakistan and Tajikistan [magnitude 5.5], as well as in western Nicaragua [5.9] and the San Francisco Bay area [3.2].



Tropical Cyclones:

• Tropical Storm Sean formed to the northeast of the Bahamas.
• Tropical Storm 04A became the second cyclone to form over the Arabian Sea within a week.



Congo Eruption:

A fiery eruption of a volcano in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo spewed lava inside the boundaries of Virunga National Park, home of the endangered mountain gorillas. Park officials said lava was moving slowly and should not pose a threat to humans or wildlife. "The little threat we have is that every time the Nyamuragira erupts it emits volcanic ash. We have to watch out for that," said Deogratias Kavotha Kalenda, an expert at Goma Volcanic Observatory. Nyamuragira erupts about every two years and can spew for days, weeks or even months. It is the most active volcano in Africa and last erupted in January 2010. In 2002, nearby Mount Nyirangongo volcano sent a flow of lava through the heart of the city of Goma. [NB: The original article misspelled Nyamuragira.]



Radioactive Cleanup:

Experts say that people living in areas contaminated last March by Japan's Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster should cleanse their property themselves rather than waiting for the government to do it. The Japanese Society of Radiation Safety Management advises people to first clean off surface areas where radioactive cesium may have landed. Large amounts of the isotope can attach to soil, roofs, walls, leaves and other plant surfaces. Areas beneath gutters are especially prone to accumulated contamination. Power washing these surfaces and areas is recommended, but that water should be collected and removed to keep the radioactivity from merely being moved around. Denuding trees and other vegetation is also advised since they are likely to contain high levels of cesium. Removing the top 2 inches of contaminated soil should also significantly reduce radioactive exposure, experts advise.



Tree 'migration':

Climate change and other factors are causing a massive "migration" of tree species across much of the western United States and Canada, according to researchers. While insect attack, disease and fire are contributing to the new arboreal landscape, climate change is causing species that have been established for centuries or millennia to lose their competitive edge, according to Oregon State's Richard Waring, lead author of the study. The study suggests that many species once able to survive and thrive are being muscled out by opportunistic newcomers. Co-author Steven Running says that while ecosystems are always changing at very slow rates, the distribution of tree species is now being altered so quickly due to recent climate change that humans can notice it.



Driest desert blooms:

Parts of the world's driest desert are now carpeted in vibrant color from wildflowers that bloomed in the wake of the region's wettest winter in decades. Despite the spectacle, only a handful of tourists have arrived in Chile's Atacama Desert to see flowers emerging from the sand, around cactuses and even out of cracks in rocks. Atacama's Llanos de Challes National Park, 370 miles north of Santiago, is expected to be in a springtime bloom until December. The parched region normally receives only a trace amount of rainfall each year.
But a near-record La Ni&tilden;a in the nearby tropical Pacific brought around 2 inches of rainfall to the park over the past year. Park director Carla Louit told Agence France-Presse that flowers begin to grow there after about 0.6 inches of seasonal rainfall. But it must fall in regular intervals and not be too heavy or infrequent. This year produced such favorable conditions not seen since 1998, according to local residents.


• Laser shield:
  A novel scheme to repel mosquitoes and combat the diseases they spread with lasers is being funded by the world's second-richest man. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is giving a $1 million grant to Columbia University's Szabolcs Marka, who found that a "cone" of light can surround and shield an entire family from the buzzing biters as they sleep. "We stumbled on this. They (mosquitoes) do walk or fly into it. Then they turn back," Marka said describing the technique. No one is sure why the wall of light works, but the insects could simply be afraid of it.


• Extreme Temperatures: -64°F Vostok, Antarctica; + 116°F Skukuza, South Africa

November 07, 2011 (for week ending November 04th)

Earthquakes:

• Hundreds of homes in northwest China's Xinjiang region were damaged by a moderate quake that struck well before dawn on Tuesday. Officials said more than 50 houses collapsed during the 5.4 magnitude shaking.
• A sharp 6.9 magnitude temblor left 103 people injured along Peru's central coast. More than 1,000 adobe homes in the Ica region were wrecked by the shaking, as was an 18th-century cathedral in the provincial capital. The quake sent panicked residents rushing into the street in the same cities badly damaged four years ago by a temblor that killed nearly 600 people.
• Earth movements were also felt in Taiwan [magnitude 5.5], central New Zealand [4.9] and western Sumatra's Bengkulu region [5.6].



Arabian Sea Cyclone:

• Tropical Cyclone Keila formed from an area of disturbed weather just south of the Arabian Peninsula. The storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 40 mph as it skirted the coasts of Oman and Yemen. At least six people died as flash floods from Keila surged across the desert region.



Chilean alerts:

Two Chilean volcanoes were under alert status as Hudson volcano's rumblings combined with those of Cordon Caulle, which has coated a large swath of neighboring Argentina in ash and disrupted air travel for months. Hudson spewed a column of steam and ash that soared more than 3 miles into the sky about 1,000 miles south of Chile's capital, Santiago. Officials evacuated 119 people from the immediate area around Hudson as snow melted by the volcano's fresh internal warmth caused the Aysen River to overflow its banks. Hudson has erupted twice in the last 60 years. Its explosions in August 1991 dumped ash 18 inches deep downwind, killing an estimated 1.5 million sheep in adjacent areas of Argentina.



Thai inland sea:

Thailand's worst flood disaster in half a century surged into the bustling capital of Bangkok. Residents who appeared determined not to be displaced by the inundation there waded through fetid water to get to work and to collect supplies for their marooned homes. The nationwide death toll from the expanding inland sea rose to more than 425, with officials warning those who didn't evacuate that they face the danger of electrocution while wading through flooded streets. More than a third of the country has been swamped from incessant monsoon rains since July, costing billions of dollars in damage to submerged homes, businesses and crops. The mighty Chao Phraya River, which winds through Bangkok, overflowed its banks when coastal tides expanded the already swollen waterway.



Invading tree killer:

A fungus carried to Europe by U.S. soldiers during World War II is killing trees across an ever-expanding swath of the continent. The culprit is the deadly fungus Ceratocystis platani, for which there is no known cure. The fungus is mainly benign to arboreal species in its native habitat across the eastern United States. But it has killed an untold number of trees while spreading across Switzerland, Greece, Germany and France over the past six decades. Once a tree becomes infected, tree pathologists say, the only thing they can do is cut it down and burn the entire tree on the spot. The latest battlefield to hold back the advance of the invasive species is the Canal du Midi, which has already seen 1,000 of the 42,000 plane trees that line its banks felled and burned last year. They are being replaced with disease-resistant trees native to Mississippi.



Climate mixers:

Jellyfish and other creatures in the sea may have a significant impact on climate as they churn the water of the world's oceans, according to researchers. The controversial theory was first proposed in 2009 by scientists at the California Institute of Technology. Now, a new device that lights up the tiny particles around the marine animals when they swim hints at just how much water they can move about. Dr. Kakani Katija Young and colleagues at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute write in the Journal of Visualized Experiments that the movements of all combined ocean life could have an impact on the ocean climate comparable to that of wind.


• Three-eyed wonder:
  The capture of a three-eyed fish in an Argentine reservoir that contains water that once cooled a nuclear power plant has fishermen wondering about the cause of the mutation. The catch was made in a reservoir named Chorro de Agua Caliente, or "hot water jet," located in the central province of Cordoba. There was no immediate explanation of the abnormality from officials, and the fishermen say they plan to submit the fish for testing. The discovery is reminiscent of an episode of the TV cartoon series "The Simpsons," in which Bart catches a three-eyed fish in a pond fed by Springfield's nuclear power plant. The episode was named "Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish."


• Extreme Temperatures: -78°F Vostok, Antarctica; + 110°F Mariscal Estigarribia, Paraguay

October 31, 2011 (for week ending October 28th)

Earthquakes:

• More than 500 people perished when Turkey's worst quake in decades flattened buildings in eastern parts of the country. The 7.2-magnitude temblor struck about dawn Oct. 23, leaving hundreds more missing. Survivors face a homeless life in the snow and cold as wintry conditions are soon predicted to set in.
• Earth movements were also felt in Earth movements were also felt in New Zealand's Bay of Plenty region [magnitude 5.0] and remote Kermadec Islands [7.4], western India [5.0], western Sumatra [5.4], northeastern Japan [5.2] and central Arizona [3.6].



Tropical Cyclone:

• Hurricane Rina weakened to tropical storm strength before striking the Mexican resort areas around Cozumel and Cancun late in the week.



Etna eruption:

Sicily's famed Mount Etna spewed lava for the 17th time this year, sending molten flows down its slopes and into an uninhabited valley. There were no reports of damage or injuries due to the latest eruption, but blowing ash did fall on some nearby villages and caused the brief shutdown of Catania airport. After months of displays that have drawn tourists from around the world, Etna fell silent on Oct. 8 after its 16th outburst of 2011. Then two weeks later, it began spewing fountains of lava hundreds of feet into the sky, clearly visible for miles around. Before its first eruption this year in January, Etna had not produced a major eruption since 1992.



Auroral extravaganza:

Earth's geomagnetic field burst into a breathtaking display of color, treating people as far south as Atlanta to the Northern Lights. The auroras were seen widely around the world, unusually far away from their usual confines around the Arctic and Antarctic. Such displays typically occur only about once per decade under clear skies. The latest was caused by a massive solar storm that sent a burst of charged particles smashing into Earth's upper atmosphere and magnetic field. "Wow, wow, wow! These were the best Northern Lights I've seen since 2004," sky watcher Shawn Malone told Spaceweather.com. Many observers in the Southern and Midwestern United States noted how red the auroras were this time. Allred auroras occur about 200 to 300 miles above Earth's surface, meaning they can be seen much farther south than the lower greenish glows that shimmer around the poles.



Polio-free India:

There have been no reported new cases of polio in India for more than nine months, making this the longest polio-free period since the global effort to eradicate the paralyzing disease was launched in 1988. Only one case has been reported in India so far in 2011, compared to 39 cases during the same period last year. India was one of only four countries where polio remained endemic. It's still a serious problem in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Nigeria. Immunization is hampered in those countries by conflict, politics, the remoteness of some communities and the frequent distrust of outsiders administering the vaccines. Neighboring Pakistan is experiencing a surge in new polio cases, prompting Indian officials to conduct immunizations at border crossings.



Wildflower extinction:

Wildflowers that have shared the European countryside with wheat, barley and other crops for thousands of years are rapidly vanishing. And while they barely compete with those crops for water and soil, they have long been treated as weeds. The widespread use of herbicides as industrialized farming has expanded over the past several decades is responsible for the decline, according to officials. Botanists point out that the wild flowering plants nourish birds and help crops by attracting birds and insects that eat pests. "All over Europe the situation is the same, with these species in serious decline," says Amelie Coantic, at France's environment ministry. Coantic told Le Monde: "Out of 102 varieties identified in France, 52 are under threat and seven have already disappeared." The ministry is drawing up plans to preserve the wildflowers, whose life cycle is closely linked to the harvest.


• Polly syllables:
  Escaped parrots who were taught to vocalize human phrases while in captivity are passing on those locutions to their counterparts in the wild. Residents around Sydney are hearing native cockatoos, galahs and corellas parroting the "Who's a pretty boy then" and "Hello, Polly" that they apparently learned from the former pets. Martyn Robinson, of the Australian Museum, says that as the liberated gabby birds move up the pecking order in the wild, other birds begin to imitate them because of their higher status. He told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. that lower-ranking birds that can speak are not passing on their talents. As for those who are bothered by the strong language some of the escaped birds were taught, Robinson says, "It would be pretty hard to censor them."


• Extreme Temperatures: -87°F Vostok, Antarctica; + 112°F Buffalo Range, Zimbabwe

October 24, 2011 (for week ending October 21th)

Earthquakes:

• A sharp earthquake near far east Russia's border with China shook buildings for hundreds of miles and caused a brief shutdown of a Russian oil pipeline that normally supplies China. The shaking caused no significant damage or any reported injuries.
• Earth movements were also felt in Papua New Guinea's New Britain Island [magnitude 6.0], South Australia [3.4], southern Texas [4.0], Oklahoma City [2.9] and Santa Fe, N.M. [3.8].



Bengal Cyclone:

• Parts of Bangladesh, western Myanmar and far eastern India were soaked by minimal Tropical Storm Two. Maximum sustained winds near the storm's center were estimated at 40 mph when it blew ashore from the Bay of Bengal near the southern Bangladeshi port of Cox's Bazar.



Airborne ash:

High winds of up to 75 mph over Argentina's Patagonia region whipped up massive clouds of volcanic ash, previously spewed by neighboring Chile's Puyehue volcano. Several airports in Argentina and Uruguay were forced to shut down out of fear the gritty gray dust could damage jet engines. Since June, most airports in the region have been forced to shut down at times due to the volcano's airborne debris. Plumes of ash even traveled halfway around the world, disrupting air travel in parts of Australia and New Zealand. Authorities warned that aviation could continue to be affected at times for months to come, due to the volcano's ongoing eruption and airborne dust kicked up by subsequent windstorms.



Ozone hole:

The hole in the protective stratospheric layer of ozone above Antarctica reached its largest expanse so far this year on Sept. 14, covering an area the size of North America. The U.S. agency NOAA said that the ozone hole spanned about 9.7 million square miles, making it the fifth largest on record. While ozone is a pollutant on the surface, it forms a protective layer high in the atmosphere that filters out much of the sun's dangerous ultraviolet radiation. The use of man-made chemicals like chlorofluorocarbons was found to cause a chemical reaction in the stratosphere that destroys the ozone. The annual hole grew steadily during the 1980s and 1990s, but appeared to level off after 2000 due to a 1989 international treaty to restrict the use of ozone-destroying chemicals. But the chemicals linger in the atmosphere for a long time, meaning it could take several decades for the ozone hole to heal. Earlier this year, the first significant Arctic ozone hole on record formed around the North Pole, mainly due to unusually frigid air that gathered high in the atmosphere.



Split fatalities:

Nearly 1,000 birds died after being coated with oil leaked from a container ship grounded on a reef just off northern New Zealand's Bay of Plenty coast. Many of the 130 surviving oiled birds that were being cleaned at a rescue facility were blue penguins, along with some fur seals. Rough seas and bad weather prevented salvage workers from removing the remaining 1,300 tons of oil from the Liberian-registered MV Rena, which had nearly split in two since running aground on Oct. 5. The ship's captain was arrested and charged with unsafe navigation that led to New Zealand's worst-ever environmental disaster.



Shark massacre:

As many as 2,000 hammerhead, Galapagos and whale sharks are feared to have been slaughtered for their fins in Colombia's territorial waters. Environmental authorities there have asked Costa Rica to help track down those responsible. The slaughter around Malpelo Island was reported by Russian scuba divers who were visiting the UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site because of its famed large gathering of sharks. Those divers told authorities that they had seen about 10 Costa Rican fishing boats in the area where the dead sharks littered the ocean floor. Killing sharks for their fins, the main ingredient in shark fin soup, is illegal in Colombian waters, but the remote island is rarely patrolled by navy ships. Shark fin soup is considered a delicacy in Chinese cuisine. Hong Kong restaurants charge up to $100 per bowl for it.


• Two-headed rescue:
  An infant two-headed king snake discovered by a north-central Tennessee man has been sent to a local university to save its life. Clarksville resident Paul Carver found the natural mutation as he was spraying weed killer around his house. He told The Leaf Chronicle that at first he thought about killing it, but instead called a friend who is an officer for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. Officer Dale Grandstaff later told reporters that, for a snake at least, having two heads is not better than one since it makes moving around and feeding the shared body almost impossible to coordinate. That means that such mutations seldom survive long after being hatched. So he donated it to Tennessee Tech University, where each head will be fed separately and the reptile will be given the best living environment for long-term survival.


• Extreme Temperatures: -85°F Vostok, Antarctica; + 111°F Mecca, Saudi Arabia

Earthquakes:

• Dozens of people on the Indonesian resort island of Bali were injured when a 6.1-magnitude temblor damaged buildings and tossed motorcyclists off their bikes. Many of the injuries were serious.
• Earth movements were also felt in northeastern Japan [magnitude 5.7], eastern Bulgaria [4.1], northern Argentina [6.2], coastal Oregon and Northern California [5.3], and around Christchurch, New Zealand [5.5].



Tropical Cyclones:

• At least five people were killed along Mexico's Pacific resort coast between Mazanillo and Puerto Vallarta when powerful Hurricane Jova roared ashore with winds of up to 100 mph and rainfall potential of greater than 15 inches. Remnants of the Category 2 storm later unleashed flash flooding in the states of Jalisco, Michoacan, Colima and Nayarit.
• Hurricane Irwin dissipated as it approached the same stretch of Mexico's Pacific coast.
• Tropical Storm Banyan killed nine people in storm-related accidents in the southern and central Philippines.



Canary eruption:

Months of tremors on Spain's Canary Island of El Hierro appear to be associated with an undersea eruption that began about three miles off the island's southeast coast. The country's National Geographic Institute told reporters that dead fish were seen floating on the ocean surface above where the eruption emerged. The institute's scientists said they were not yet able to determine if the eruption, at a depth of about 1,500 feet, was spewing lava or gas. It now appears unlikely that the more than 9,000 tremors that have jolted El Hierro since July 17 will lead to another eruption.



Metro Tokyo fallout:

Heavy radioactive contamination from Japan's March 11 tsunami-nuclear disaster may have reached metropolitan Tokyo due to the discovery of strontium-90 in nearby Yokohama. About 195 becquerels of the radioactive isotope, believed to be from the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, was discovered in dust on top of an apartment building in the port city, about 15 miles south of Tokyo. This is the first time strontium at a concentration of over 100 becquerels per kilogram has been found beyond 60 miles of the Fukushima power plant. Strontium-90 has a half-life of 29 years and can accumulate in bones if inhaled or ingested. It is believed to cause bone cancer and leukemia.



Barren Texas passage:

The record drought that has withered wildflowers as well as crops across Texas could pose a serious threat to this fall's monarch butterfly migration, according to experts.
Chip Taylor, director of Monarch Watch in Lawrence, Kan., cautions that vegetation the insects rely on to fatten up on their way to their central Mexican winter homes just isn't available this year. Taylor told The Kansas City Star that Texas will be "a thousand miles of hell - a nearly flowerless, nectarless and waterless expanse," for the monarchs. The butterflies typically arrive at a small patch of oyamel fir trees, located to the west of Mexico City, fat and happy on nectar collected during a migration of thousands of miles. The fat helps them survive the sometimes damp and chilly winter months in the mountains of Michoacan state. Experts say they expect to see the smallest wintering population of monarchs on record there this season. The butterflies spend the summer as far north as Winnipeg and as far northeast as Maine.



Solar danger:

The ozone hole over Antarctica has stretched deeper into South America over recent weeks, causing dangerous levels of ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun to reach the ground around the Chilean capital of Santiago. That city's UV index reached an 8 three weeks ago, the highest recorded for that time of year since 2008. Santiago also registered a 10 percent increase in UV radiation last January, with the index sometimes soaring above a very dangerous level of 12. The country's cancer institute says the last decade has seen a sharp increase in the number of people with skin cancer, which can be directly linked to higher UV levels.



Thames colonist:

A rare type of sea horse usually found in the temperate waters of the Mediterranean and around the Canary Islands was discovered swimming in the waters of the Thames River, just downstream from London. The short- snouted sea horse found during a routine fish survey at Greenwich was a juvenile, which experts say could mean a colony of the fish could be living nearby. The Thames had been so contaminated by the industrial revolution that it was considered "biologically dead" as late as the 1950s. But environmental and conservation efforts have turned it into a far cleaner waterway today, one that is hosting a widening variety of marine life. The 2-inch sea horse discovered in Greenwich was measured and quickly released back into the river. The last sighting of a sea horse in the Thames was much farther downstream in Dagenham in 2008.


• Extreme Temperatures: -86 deg F Vostok, Antarctica; + 110 Dongola, Sudan

October 10, 2011 (for week ending October 07th)

Earthquakes:

• A relatively strong [magnitude 5.8] earthquake centered off northern New Zealand was felt widely across the North Island. No damage or injuries were reported from the shaking.
• Very light earth movements were felt in northeastern Ohio [magnitude 2.5] and the desert resorts of Southern California [3.2].



Tropical Cyclones:

• Two typhoons to strike the northern Philippines within a week brought disastrous flooding that killed 82 people and marooned thousands on rooftops or patches of high ground for days. Heavy rainfall from Typhoon Nalgae only worsened the inundations initially brought on by Typhoon Nesat.
• Remnants of Hurricane Ophelia drenched parts of Newfoundland.
• Hurricane Philippe zigzagged across the open Atlantic.



Canary rumblings:

Intense swarms of tremors beneath one of the volcanic Canary Islands has placed residents of El Hierro on alert for a possible eruption. Spain's Instituto Geografico Nacional reported the nearly 9,000 seismic movements on the island since July 17 have caused measurable changes in the terrain. El Hierro's only eruption during recorded history was in 1793, when the Volcano de Lomo Negro vent rumbled for a month and produced lava flows.
Seismologists say they don't know if the rising ball of lava causing the latest rumblings will break through the surface, but they have issued a "yellow" alert as a precaution. Tremors about 50,000 years ago produced an enormous landslide that cascaded into the ocean, creating a large tsunami that probably reached the North American coast.



Irradiated city:

Very high levels of radioactive cesium, believed to be from Japan's tsunami-nuclear disaster last March, have been found by independent researchers in the city of Fukushima, nearly 40 miles from the crippled reactors. The 307,000 becquerels of cesium per kilogram found well outside the current evacuation zone is three times the benchmark established by the government, which requires the contaminated soil to be sealed in concrete.
Kobe University professor Tomoya Yamauchi and colleagues examined soil samples collected on Sept. 14 at five locations in the city. Yamauchi says the entire area is so contaminated that it would be necessary to remove all topsoil, as well as road surfaces, asphalts, roofs and concrete walls, to protect the population. Local activists are calling on the government to declare the Fukushima city district a hot spot, where residents are urged to evacuate and would be eligible for state assistance should they decide to go.



South Seas drought:

A record La Niña-caused drought, combined with rising sea level due to climate change, has left the South Pacific island nation of Tuvalu with critically low supplies of fresh water.
The shortage is forcing schools to operate without functioning toilets as officials bathe in lagoons to illustrate the severity of the crisis. Six months of well-below-normal rainfall have amplified the effects of higher tides, which are contaminating the well water supply on the low-lying atolls, home to about 10,500 people to the north of Fiji.
Emergency shipments of bottled water and desalinization equipment have been airlifted in from New Zealand and Samoa. The contamination of the groundwater was said to be causing Tuvalu's coconut trees to look "sickly" and the edible breadfruit to be much smaller than usual. Local fruits and vegetables are also reported to be stunted or in short supply.



Disappearing ice:

Canadian scientists say that two ice shelves that have covered the country's Arctic region since before European settlers arrived melted significantly this summer with one nearly disappearing entirely. Luke Copland of the University of Ottawa and colleagues observed that the Serson Ice Shelf and the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf's central area underwent extensive melting as the Arctic in general experienced its second-greatest summer melt on record. Copland told The Canadian Press that the losses are significant, especially since the Ward Hunt Ice Shelf has always been the biggest, the farthest north and the one scientists thought might have been the most stable.


• Genetic diet:
  New research reveals that some if not all the plants we eat actually change the behavior of our human genes in ways never before imagined. A new study led by Chen-Yu Zhang of Nanjing University found that fragments of plant genetic material survive digestion and wind up swimming in the bloodstreams of humans and cows. Those tiny strands of RNA that somehow make it through the toxic acids and enzymes in the gut come from rice and the plant family that includes broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower and cabbage. Zhang found that they can muffle or amplify human gene expression in various ways.
  The discovery could lead to ways of designing plants that act as medicine or even change our own genetic structure for the better.


• Extreme Temperatures: -93 deg F Vostok, Antarctica; + 114 Mecca, Saudi Arabia

May 23, 2011 (for week ending May 20th)

Earthquakes:

• A 5.9-magnitude jolt centered beneath far eastern Afghanistan was also felt in neighboring parts of Pakistan and Indian-controlled Jammu and Kashmir.
• Earth movements were also felt in southern Queensland [magnitude 3.3], New Zealand's Christchurch aftershock zone [magnitude 4.0], Java [magnitude 5.6], western Jamaica [magnitude 4.7] and southern New England [magnitude 2.1].



Etna Eruption:

Sicily's Mount Etna erupted with fountains of molten rock and strong tremors that disrupted a stage of the Giro d'Italia bicycling race. Ash fell over Catania and villages surrounding the volcano for several hours. The main airport was temporarily closed to air traffic due to the hazard posed by the ash. Etna is in a nearly constant state of activity, but it is not considered especially dangerous.



Deer vs. Tree:

Hungry deer are spoiling efforts to manage sustainable maple forests in prime logging areas of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Researchers from Michigan State University have found areas of harvested maple forest that should be thriving with saplings have instead turned into veritable buffets for deer. They discovered that in the north of the peninsula, where heavy snows push deer south in search of food during the winter, sugar maple saplings generally are flourishing in the harvested areas. But virtually no saplings are surviving the deer's munchings in the southern harvested areas. The discovery is causing further tension between the hunters who like a large deer population and the timber industry., "Save a tree, kill a deer is the sentiment of many loggers," said the forestry expert Megan Matonis.


• Arctic Greening:
  Trees may grow up to 300 miles farther north in the Arctic under the influence of climate change by the end of this century, causing the tundra to disappear and bringing sweeping changes to wildlife. The prediction was made by the head of the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna, speaking in Greenland to a gathering of foreign ministers of Arctic countries. Aevar Petersen says that the greening of the Arctic is already occurring more quickly than predicted just 10 years ago. He said that in some areas, evergreen shrubs are taking over from grasses, mosses and lichens are typical in the tundra.



Out of Extinction:

A rare and elusive rodent not seen around its native Colombian habitat for more than 100 years showed up unexpectedly in from of camera-toting researchers working in the el Dorado Nature Preserve. The seemingly fearless red-crested tree rat then posed for nearly two hours while Lizzie Noble and Simon McKeown took the first photographs ever of the species, including close-ups. "He just shuffled up the handrail near where we were sitting and seemed totally unperturbed by all the excitement he was causing," said Noble. The researcher said the guinea-pig-sized visitor eventually ambled back into the forest, presumably to join others of the species, which had not been seen since 1898. The discovery was announced by the American Bird Conservancy, which is one of the preserve's sponsors.


• 13-Year Rumpus:
  Sounds that can evoke images of a sci-fi alien invasion are emerging across the southern U.S., where insects that sing only every 13 years are crawling back to life. The last time the 13-year cicadas came out was in 1998. The males of the species are now crooning to females to breed another generation that won't emerge until 2024. Beyond their often deafening, shrill cries, cicadas do not pose a major threat to trees or gardens like their locust cousins. They create their cries by furiously vibrating membranes in their abdomens. After mating, females lay eggs on tree branches and, within several days, most of the adults die or are eaten. It's believed the species survives by breeding in such great numbers that predators can't eat all of the little cicadas before they crawl underground for a 13-year slumber. Dubbed the "Great Southern Brood" by scientists, the insects should fall silent in most areas by the first of June.



Quake omens:

Scientists say that the atmosphere above the epicenter of Japan's catastrophic March 11 earthquake underwent significant changes prior to the tectonic thrust. Preliminary studies of the phenomena by Chapman University researcher Dimitar Ouzounov and several international colleagues could offer insight into how to predict powerful earthquakes well before they strike. Using satellite data, they studies atmospheric conditions during the days leading up to the quake. They found a large increase in the concentration of electrons above northeastern Japan, which peaked three days prior to the quake. march 8 also saw a rapid increase in infrared radiation above the future epicenter. Both atmospheric changes disappeared following the main 9.0-magnitude quake. Similar phenomena have been detected prior to some other major earthquakes.


• Extreme Temperatures: -107 deg F Vostok, Antarctica; + 120 Tombouctou (Timbuktu), Mali

May 16, 2011 (for week ending May 13th)

Earthquakes:

• At least nine people were killed during two rare and powerful temblors that struck southeastern Spain in rapid succession. Several buildings were toppled during the 4.5 and 5.3-magnitude quakes.
• Quake-weary survivors of the 6.3-magnitude New Zealand temblor that wrecked Christchurch earlier this year endured a pre-dawn 5.3-magnitude aftershock that shattered windows.
• A strong earth movement was also felt in southeastern Greece [magnitude 5.1] and nearby areas of Turkey [magnitude 5.1].



Cyclone Aere:

The season's second tropical cyclone in the Philippines killed at least 22 people but mainly spared the country''s northeastern agricultural region from crop damage. Tropical Storm Aere skirted the central and northeastern coastal areas at the height of the planting season, setting off some flash floods and landslides. But rainfall from the storm was generally welcomed by farmers whose fields had been scorched by dry-season heat.



A Tree Dies in Jordan:

A Jordanian oak tree that had provided shade to weary travelers since the time of the Crusades has died, reportedly the victim of careless development. The Jordan News Agency (Petra) reports the 750-year-old tree was located at the western entrance of the northern village of Samou'. There, it is said to have attracted merchants and soldiers during nearly seven centuries of the Ottoman empire. Residents say a local developer carried out reckless excavation beneath the tree's canopy, leading t the trunk's eventual decay. Late efforts by the local agriculture departments to save the arboreal relic failed, leading to branches that once cast 540 square feet of shade at midday to finally wither and fall to the ground.



Shift in Coastal Reality:

The massive lurch in the Earth's surface during March's disastrous earthquake and tsunami in Japan sank several coastal communities so low that they are now inundated twice a day on average by the normal rising of the tide. Those communities that sustained the most damage, especially to their sea walls, face the greatest daily inundations. REsidents in the worst-affected communities now resort to donning rubber boots or riding bicycles when the Pacific Ocean rises into their neighborhoods or shopping areas. Japan's northeast coast shifted horizontally by 17 feet and sank by as much as 4 feet in some areas. While most houses unscathed by the twin disasters still sit far enough above the new sea level to escape the tide, the new and permanent geological reality has swamped many of their sewage systems, making toilets unusable.


• Whaling Lawsuit:
  Australia lodged a written complaint with the International Court of Justice, alleging Japan's ongoing whaling activities are a breach of that country's international obligations. "Despite Australia repeatedly calling on Japan to cease its illegal whaling activities, Japan has refused to do so," Attorney-General Robert McClelland, Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd and Environment Minister Tony Burke told the court in a joint statement. Australia tries to protect five different whale species within its territorial waters, as well as in the rich whale feeding grounds off parts of Antarctica. Japan hunts and slaughters the marine mammals for what it calls scientific research, often being confronted on the high seas by anti-whaling advocates. Most details of Australia's filing will be confidential until Japan responds to the court.



Dolphin Recovery:

the population of a rare species of river dolphin is recovering from last year's severe drought in the Amazon Basin - the worst in 50 years. The number of pink river dolphins in one remote part of the Peruvian Amazon plummeted by half due to near record-low water levels. But conservationists say that a return of ample rainfall has brought the river to unusually high levels this year, allowing the marine mammals to recover in at least one Amazon tributary. Richard Bodmer, from the University of Kent, says the number of pink dolphins is up to nearly 10 percent compared to last year in the Samiria River.


• Extreme Temperatures: -89 deg F South Pole, Antarctica; + 117 Matam, Senegal

May 9, 2011 (for week ending May 6th)

Earthquakes:

• A wide area of central and southern Mexico was rocked by a 5.8-magnitude quake. No significant damage was reported.
• Earth movements were also felt in northwest Sumatra [magnitude 6.0], southern New Zealand [magnitude 5.2], Taiwan [magnitude 5.7], eastern Romania [magnitude 4.7], western Minnesota [magnitude 2.5] and interior parts of the Los Angeles Basin [magnitude 3.1].



May snowfall in Iceland:

Iceland's capital of Reykjavik was blanketed by its first May snowfall in 18 years, officially receiving more than 6 inches of the wintry precipitation on May 1. The sudden chill was an unwelcome surprise to many capital residents, who had been told by meteorologists that temperatures during the first two days of May would finally soar into the 60s after a winter that seemed like it would never end.



Crime Bites Back:

A northern Florida sheriff's officer on a mission to take a bite out of crime had a bite taken out of his patrol car - by an angry 10-foot alligator. Officer Victor Borrero was responding to reports of a large gator in Gainesville when he came across the reptilian interloper. While he was waiting for a trapper, assigned by wildlife officials to remove the animal, it lurched and chomped down on the front bumper of his Crown Victoria cruiser. Borrero said he had to resort to backing up the patrol car several feet before the gator finally opened its jaw. The Gainesville Sun reports that the front bumper was left heavily damaged. The daily also revealed that the gator's meat and hide soon became the property of the trapper who hauled it off.



Deadly Winter:

A brutal and extended winter season across the northern Rocky Mountains has resulted in a record number of big-game animals perishing from malnutrition and stress, according to wildlife officials. "Elk, deer and moose - those animals are having a pretty tough time," Wyoming Game and Fish biologist Doug Brimeyer told Reuters. High mortality rates have been observed in the populations of young mule deer, white-tailed deer and pronghorn antelope. Officials estimate that tens of thousands of the big-game animals have died across thousands of square miles, from the prairie of northeastern Montana, southward into Idaho and Wyoming.



Radiation Mounts:

Levels of radioactivity in the seabed near Japan's crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant have jumped up to 1,000 times above normal. The discovery was made when the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (Tepco) took samples on April 29 at depths of about 65 to 100 feet offshore from the reactors. Tepco said the contamination could be the result of airborne radioactive substances falling into the sea, or radioactive particles flowing into the Pacific within water used to cool down the reactors. The radiation level in the seabed was more than 600 times higher than had been detected earlier since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami disaster cut power to the plant, leading to overheating, explosions and a partial meltdown.


• Armadillo Vector:
  A team of U.S. researchers has found "strong evidence" that indicates the iconic armadillos, notorious for scampering across southern highways, have infected humans with leprosy. Aside from humans, the armored mammals are among only a handful of other known natural hosts of the disease in the world. More than 20 percent of armadillos tested in parts of the South have been found infected with the bacterium that causes the disease. Richard W. Truman, director of microbiology at the National Hansen's Disease Program in Baton Rouge, used genetic analysis to study the connection. He and colleagues found that infected humans who had not traveled to areas where leprosy is a serious health problem share the same leprosy bacterium strain as local armadillos. It's believed that humans contact the disease by handling armadillos or consuming their meat. The animals are most common in Texas, but they are expanding their range.


• Whale of a Feast:
  Scientists have found a remote area of Antarctic waters where vast numbers of humpback whales gather to feed on unusually dense concentrations of krill. The shrimp-like creatures are the whale's main food source, and a Duke University-led team says the humpbacks were feeding on the largest swarm of the tiny creatures seen in more than 20 years along the western Antarctic Peninsula. They also observed the densest population of the whales ever recorded - more than 15 per square mile. The wildlife spectacular was observed during the southern summer months of 2009 and again in 2010, but with slightly lower numbers of both creatures. The bounty is a result of climate change over the past 50 years that has significantly reduced the winter sea ice coverage, according to marine biologist Douglas Nowwacek. "The lack of sea ice is good news for the whales in the short term, providing them with all-you-can-eat feasts as the krill migrate vertically toward the bay's surface each night," said Nowacek.


• Extreme Temperatures: -92 deg F South Pole, Antarctica; + 115 Birni-N'Konni, Niger

May 2, 2011 (for week ending April 29th)

Earthquakes:

• A powerful and shallow earthquake [magnitude 6.2] sent residents and tourists on Indonesia's Sulawesi Island fleeing buildings as windows shattered and walls cracked during the shaking. No injuries were reported.
• Earth movements were also felt in Java [magnitude 5.4], central [magnitude 4.3] and southern [magnitude 4.1] New Zealand, northern Pakistan [magnitude 5.0] and in northwest [magnitude 5.6] and southwest Mexico [magnitude 5.3].



Kamchatka Eruptions:

Two of far East Russia's most active volcanoes threatened aviation and wildlife during eruptions that spewed ash above the Kamchatka Peninsula. Ash from Shiveluch soared nearly five miles high near some key trans-Pacific aviation routes. RIA Novosti reports an eruption of Kizimen volcano brought hazardous conditions to areas inhabited by wild animals, including some endangered species. The news agency said reindeer were leaving their normal habitat because their usual winter food supply of moss was buried beneath a thick crust of ash-covered snow.



Historic Disaster:

Colombia is battling the country's worst natural disaster on record due to virtually unending rains this year, triggered by the La Nina ocean-cooling phenomenon in the tropical Pacific. "It is as if our territory has been struck by a hurricane that arrived last year and does not want to leave," President Juan Manuel Santos said in an address to the nation. He called for national unity to face a disaster that has caused damage in 28 of the country's 32 departments, or districts, and killed at least 90 people. Santos said that repair and rebuilding efforts are being crippled by the lack of a break in the rain, and the resulting floods and landslides.



Wonderland Revealed:

The break-off and subsequent melting of a huge chunk of Antarctic glacier has revealed a previously unseen frigid habitat teeming with life, according to oceanographers from the Australian Antarctic Division. When a large iceberg clipped the Mertz Glacier in East Antarctica last year, it seeded the base of the marine food web with between 20 and 40 years worth of accumulated iron-rich dust contained in the ice. When melted, it acted as a fertilizer for phytoplankton. The tiny plants quickly bloomed due to the sudden flood of light and nutrients, setting off a sudden explosion in the populations of larger marine life. The removal of glacial sea ice also revealed to marine biologists such animals as giant sea stars, colorful sponges and fish.



Tornado Climate:

Climate experts say that despite the magnitude of this season's disastrous tornado season in the United States, it's hard to blame it directly on climate change. More than 300 tornadoes had been reported by the end of April. The twisters caused hundreds of fatalities and inflicted catastrophic damage in many neighborhoods. And while those mounting numbers could become the highest on record, climatologists caution that drawing conclusions as to a cause is difficult because of unreliable statistics. The number of reported April tornadoes has more than doubled since the 1950s, but most of that increase was in the number of small twisters that could have gone unnoticed and unreported when the nation was far less populated. "We have eyes everywhere, and we have radar and satellite. It would be very difficult for a tornado to sneak through unnoticed," National Weather Service meteorologist Greg Carbin told The New York Times.


• Ozone Culprit:
  New research reveals that the stratospheric ozone hole over Antarctica that has formed regularly during the past half-century has had a far-reaching influence on the climate of the Southern Hemisphere. Its impact, which is said to rival even that of greenhouse gases, has been detected in tropical regions far from the icy continent, over which the ozone depletion occurs ever southern spring. But writing in the journal Science, Columbia University researchers say that the ozone hole's sway over climate has been most profound in Australia. They say it has been about one-third to blame for that country's recent spate of droughts.
  
  
• Urban Bird Brains:
  Researchers have found that birds don't get big-headed from their exposure to big-city sophistication, but rather need larger brains to survive in the more challenging urban environments. The biologists from institutions in Sweden and Spain studied 82 species of birds from 22 families, focusing on 12 cities in France and Switzerland. Writing in the journal Biology Letters, they said that winged "urban adapters" breeding in city centers were found to have larger brains relative to their body size on average than their country cousins. This is said to be the first time brain size has been shown to be a key factor for an animal's survival in urban environments. But there were some exceptions, according to biology expert Alexei Maklakov. "Some of the small-brained species are lucky enough to find niches in urban habitats that are, by coincidence, a pretty good approximation of their original habitat," he said.
  
  
• Extreme Temperatures: -89 deg F Vostok, Antarctica; +115 deg F N'Guigmi, Niger.

April 25, 2011 (for week ending April 22nd)

Earthquakes:

• A strong aftershock of New Zealand's Christchurch temblor earlier this year cut power for about two hours to parts of South Island city. There were no reports of significant damage or injuries from the 5.3 magnitude aftershock.
• Earth movements were also felt in northern New Zealand [magnitude 6.4], Australia's Great Barrier Reef region [magnitude 5.3], northeastern Japan [magnitude 6.1], northern Tanzania and adjacent parts of Kenya [magnitude 4.8], western Nevada [magnitude 4.4] and the San Francisco Bay Area [magnitude 3.8].



Timor Cyclone:

An island shared by Indonesia and independent East Timor received a solid soaking from a minimal tropical storm that formed over the Timor Sea. Tropical Storm Errol never became very well organized, and quickly lost force to a tropical depression shortly after its center passed over the island of Timor.



Cuban Drought:

Cuba's capital and the surrounding province are facing the most acute water shortage in 50 years due to a prolonged drought that was amplified by an extremely dry March. The problem around Havana is worsened by the deterioration of the region's aqueduct system and antiquated household plumbing, according to the country's National Institute of Water Resources. Heavy seasonal rains normally arrive in northern Cuba during April. But the Cuban Meteorology Institute cautions that one wet month will scarcely make a dent in the rainfall deficit let by a quarter-year of inadequate rain.



Solar Surge:

Solar activity is heating up rapidly after three years in which the sun appeared to be nearly free of sunspots. "Finally, we are beginning to see some action," said NASA solar physicist Richard Fisher. In 2008, the sun entered one of the deepest minimums in almost a century, with sunspots all but absent and with few eruptions of solar flares. While lulls in solar activity come regularly every 11 years or so, the one that just passed was the most prolonged since reliable observations began around 1755. Recent solar storms produced vivid aurora displays in March and will eventually lead to a peak in the current cycle in early 2013.



Doomsday odds:

The world as we know it is likely to end within 90 years, and human civilization has only a 50 percent chance of surviving until 2100 without being hit by a manmade catastrophe, according to two of the world's most respected scientists. The U.K's Astronomer Royal Martin Rees made part of the dire prediction during a debate at the Edinburgh International Science Festival. Beyond the tangible threat of a terrorist nuclear attack on a major city, the eminent astrophysicist points to climate change and overpopulation as the world's leading man-made perils. But Astronomer Royal for Scotland John Brown cautions that the planet is somewhat overdue for an asteroid impact. He also fears electromagnetic solar storms that could "fry" electronics in orbit and on the ground. Such an event could cripple the modern devices that have become crucial to human survival and commerce. "Suppose they knocked out a quarter of the world's power supplies - that would create a potential threat to millions of people," Brown said.


• Linear Leviathans:
  New research suggests that migrating humpback whales are actually skilled astronomers, using a combination of Earth's magnetic field, the sun's position, and even the stars at night to make their epic journeys. "They're orienting with something outside of themselves, not something internal," writes Travis Horton of New Zealand's University of Canterbury in the journal Biology Letters. He led a team that tracked humpback migration for eight years. They found that even though the marine mammals venture through some of the world's most turbulent waters, they somehow manage to follow remarkably straight paths for weeks at a time.
  
  
• Urban Fowl:
  Offspring of chickens that survived Hurricane Katrina in 2005 are now running free through the streets of New Orleans. The feral birds are considered a nuisance by some but are beloved by others. "We don't have stray dogs anymore," 9th Ward resident Ruby Melton told the Times-Picayune. "But everyone I talk to has stray chickens." The poultry's natural enemies of owls and chicken hawks have so far been unable to keep the feral bird population in check. Children in at least one neighborhood have proved to be more skillful chicken wranglers than animal control officers and the SPCA. Twelve-year-old Nas Jackson told the daily news that he and his friends "sneak up and grab the birds over their wings." No mater who captures them, most of the birds wind up with a farmer known locally as the "Chicken Man." Other winged residents that were once domesticated but have become feral are colorful parrots that can be seen and heard in the trees around New Orleans. They were probably set free or escaped during the Hurricane Katrina disaster.
  
  
• Extreme temperatures: -95 deg F South Pole, Antarctica; +117 deg F Kiffa, Mauritania.

April 18, 2011 (for week ending April 15th)

Earthquakes:

• Northern Japan was rocked by another powerful aftershock [magnitude 5.1] of the devastating March 11 great earthquake. There were no reports of any significant damage, but last week's stronger aftershock was responsible for three deaths and about 140 injuries.
• New Zealand's North Island was jolted by a 5.1-magnitude tremor.



Philippine Rumblings:

Dozens of families were evacuated from around the Philippines' Taal Volcano following a series of powerful tremors from within the restive mountain. Volcanologists warned that large amounts of carbon dioxide being emitted from the volcano could cause nearby residents to become dizzy, faint, and have headaches. Taal Volcano observatory researcher Lorence Banez said the invisible gas could also damage nearby crops. The volcano is located in the middle of Lake Taal, on Luzon Island to the south of Manila. It has produced several violent eruptions that have killed between 5,000 and 6,000 people during recorded history.


Tsunami Legacy:

Hawaii-based oceanographers have evaluated the path and speed of debris from Japan's catastrophic March 11 tsunami, which may reach Hawaiian beaches as early as next year. Nikolai Maximenko and Jan Hafner used a computer model that factors in the effects of wind, waves and ocean currents to estimate how the debris will travel. The tsunami washed cars, entire houses and various other objects into the pacific. The flotsam is being drawn eastward from the Japanese coast by the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, which has previously captured massed of plastic debris into the famed North Pacific Garbage Patch. The debris still afloat in a few years will eventually be pulled into the same area between hawaii and North America occupied by the garbage patch. But larger items, such as derelict fishing vessels, may show up on West Coast beaches well before then. The tsunami debris are insignificant compared to the massive amount of trash dumped into the oceans each day.


Clawed Invasion:

Thousands, possibly millions, of king crab are marching up the seabed slopes around Antarctica, invading the coastal waters of the icy continent for the first time in possibly millions of years, according to researchers. Polar and marine biologist James McClintock of the University of Alabama at Birmingham says since the mass migration was first detected in 2007, it has increased significantly under the influence of climate change. The shell-crushing crabs threaten the population of the soft-shell clams and other marine creatures that produce disease-fighting compounds currently being investigated by scientists. McClintock fears these species could disappear before cures are found.


Outback Invasion:

Interior Australia's recent bountiful rainy seasons have triggered a mass migration of rats, being lured by the lush wildlife spawned by some of the most widespread and heavy rains in a century. The Australian Broadcasting Corp. reports that the native long-hared rat, which normally lives in the grasslands of the Barkly Tableland of the Northern Territory and western Queensland, is being seen in the normally arid region around Alice Springs for the first time in 25 years. The outback community usually has no such rodents due to its dry climate. The long-haired rodent can produce 12 babies every three weeks, which has allowed an explosive increase in its numbers. "Probably the only similar expansion by a rodent is seen in the lemmings in the Northern Hemisphere," said Peter McDonald, acting scientist with Northern Territory Biodiversity conservation. "There is nothing else in Australia which erupts over such a large area."


• Roaming Expansion:
  Yellowstone National Park and the National Wildlife Foundation have reached an agreement with ranchers near the park to allow buffalo normally in the park to roam and graze outside the park boundaries. Wandering bison have been slaughtered during recent winters to prevent them from possibly contaminating nearby cattle herds with brucellosis, a disease that leads to spontaneous abortion in livestock. The new agreement allows the bison to migrate into the new 75,000 acre Gardiner Basin Bison Conservation Area. Ranchers under the deal will end cattle grazing to accommodate the bison migration.
  
  
• La Nina Chill:
  A waning La Nina ocean-cooling in the Pacific was the driving force behind March 2011 stacking up as the coolest March worldwide since 1999, according to climate experts. While La Nina weakened for a third consecutive month, John Christy of the Earth System Science Center at the University of Alabama says that it still managed to have a chilling influence on the global weather system. March 2011 was also the 15th-coldest March on record, bucking the recent trend of a warmer global climate, according to Christy's calculations.


• Extreme temperatures: -90 deg F South Pole, Antarctica; +116 deg F Kiffa, Mauritania.

April 11, 2011 (for week ending April 8th)

Earthquakes:

• A strong aftershock [magnitude 7.1] of the March 11 great earthquake off northeast Japan rocked a wide area of the country late in the evening Thursday. No damage or significant sea level changes were reported.
• Earth movements were also felt in northern India and neighboring parts of Nepal [magnitude 5.4], eastern Afghanistan and adjacent areas of Pakistan [magnitude 4.8], Java [magnitude 6.7], the eastern Mediterranean [magnitude 5.9] , northwestern England [magnitude 2.2], southern Mexico [magnitude 6.5] and northern Chile [magnitude 5.9].



Fiery Eruption:

Japan's Sakurajima volcano produced colorful fountains of lava and spewed ash into the skies of southern Japan near the city of Kagoshima. The Japan Meteorological Agency alerted nearby residents and aviation interests that the volcano was "very dangerous." Sakurajima has produced strong activity at various times throughout recorded Japanese history.



Renewable Limits:

Researchers are warning that relying too heavily on wind and wave power as "renewable" energy sources to replace fossil fuels could be a costly mistake, if not impossible. It's estimated that human activity currently uses energy at about 17 terrawatts (trillions of watts) through the burning of fossil fuels. Axel Kleidon of Germany's Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry points to laws of thermodynamics, which say that if humans harvest more and more energy from the wind and ocean currents to replace the polluting technology, it could actually affect the climate as much as current greenhouse gas emissions. He says that while extracting large amounts of wind energy wouldn't significantly diminish the winds, it would change precipitation, turbulence and the amount of sun reaching the surface.



Radiation Safe:

Some experts are saying that radioactive water leaking and being released into the ocean from Japan's crippled Fukashima 1 nuclear power plant shouldn't pose as significant danger to sea creatures or humans who eat them. Oceanographer William Burnett of Florida State University, who specializes in naturally occurring radioisotopes in the marine environment, told The Associated Press that effects of radioactivity from the plant will be highly localized. Marine radiochemistry expert Ken Buesseler of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution said the levels of radioactive iodine and cesium drop a thousandfold from waters next to the plant to about 19 miles offshore. He told the AP that radioactive levels in seafood probably won't be any more of a hazard than from what people normally get from land-based sources such as water and produce.


• Arctic Ozone Hole
  The protective layer of stratospheric ozone over the Arctic reached a record low over the past winter due to abnormally cold weather in the upper atmosphere. While Arctic weather at the surface continued to be unusually warm due to climate change, air nine to ten miles aloft got very cold early on and has continued to be that way into early April. This, combined with manmade ozone-depleting chemicals lingering in the atmosphere, caused the destruction of 40 percent of the stratospheric ozone by the end of March. The previous record loss was 30 percent. These ozone "holes" allow more harmful ultraviolet rays to reach the surface, increasing the changes of skin cancer, cataracts and damage to the immune system. Ozone-depleting chemicals are being phased out due to the Montreal Protocol, which went into force in 1989. But scientists say it takes several decades for compounds such as the chlorofluorocarbons formerly used as refrigerants to break down. That means it could take until 2045-60 for the ozone holes over the Arctic and Antarctic to fully recover.


• Ocean Heat Sink:
  A fleet of more than 3,200 robot weather sensors drifting on the world's oceans has found that more than half of the Earth's excess heat being absorbed by oceans is stored in the Southern Hemisphere. The weather robots, first launched by the Argo Project in 2003, also have found that ocean temperatures are rising as the planet warms under climate change. It also confirmed that 90 percent of the excess heat being absorbed by the planet is being stored in the oceans. But since the array of Argo sensors has been around for only seven years, it has yet to document any long-term trends in rainfall and temperature.



Tsunami Castaway:

A dog washed out to sea by Japan's March 11 tsunami has been found and returned to her owner ashore after more than three weeks adrift. The reunion of the 2-year-old mixed breed named Ban was broadcasted on Japanese television. The dog was found after a coalition of Japanese and American vessels combed coastal waters for three days in search of any survivors washed offshore. Ban was found on top of a floating roof from a house that had been washed out to sea in the disaster. It took rescuers several hours to finally capture the castaway, who had been scrambling over the flotsam that saved her life.


• Extreme temperatures: -90 deg F Vostok, Antarctica; +113 deg F Wau, Sudan.

April 4, 2011 (for week ending April 1st)

Earthquakes:

• Aftershocks continued to jolt eastern Myanmar [magnitude 4.8], where a 6.8 temblor on March 24 killed about 150 people, according to independent sources. The official death toll was placed at 75.
• Earth movements were also felt in northern New Zealand [magnitude 5.4], northeastern japan's aftershock zone. Fiji [magnitude 6.4], western Scotland [magnitude 2.4], the Virginia-North Carolina border area [magnitude 2.5], and in far southern parts of California [magnitude 3.8].



Nuclear Refugees:

Reports on the extent of radioactive contamination from Japan's crippled Fukushima 1 nuclear power plant have become more disturbing each day since the march 11 earthquake and tsunami. Radioactive iodine-131 was found to be 1,850 times the legal limit in seawater samples taken near the plant on March 25. Plutonium, one of the most dangerous substances on the planet, was then found in the soil around the nuclear complex. Plutonium-239 has a half-life of 24,200 years. A speck of it the size of a dust particle can lead to lung cancer and death if inhaled. The toxic element could be carried far from japan on the wind or by ocean currents. Trace amounts of radioactive contamination, not associated with the plutonium, have already been found half a world away. But radiation levels that far exceed the criterion to prompt an evacuation have been detected at a village 25 miles from the complex. The discovery was at twice the distance of the existing 12-mile exclusion zone. Some of those who have evacuated are facing the realization that the nuclear contamination is so severe and lingering that they will probably not be able to go home within their lifetimes. The same may be true for their children, and for their children's children.



South Seas Cyclone:

Tropical Cyclone Bune reached Category 1 force over open waters after forming just south of Fiji. Remnants of the storm later brought high surf and showers to parts of northern New Zealand.



Volcanic Fire:

A brush fire sparked by lava from Hawaii's Kilauea volcano blackened nearly 2,000 acres before being brought under control. The blaze was ignited at nearly the same time the volcano's Pu'u O'o crater floor collapsed, causing fountains of lava to emerge. All lava eruptions ended in the area on March 9. But lava flowed again on March 26, slowly filling the deepest parts of the Pu'u O'o crater.



Tsunami Survivor:

A baby dolphin washed a mile inland by the catastrophic March 11 Japanese tsunami was safely returned to the ocean by a pair of rescuers. A man passing by a flooded rice field spotted the 3-foot-long finless porpoise near the coastal city of Sendai. He alerted pet shop owners Takashi Wagatsuma and Ryo Taira, who have been helping save stranded and abandoned animals since the giant waves hit. Together, they captured the stranded dolphin and gently transported it in wet towels back to the sea. But it's still far from being out of danger. The marine mammal now faces the possibility of swimming into waters highly contaminated b radioactivity from the nearby damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant.


• Penguin Rescue:
  A rescue team has been dispatched to one of the most remote locations on Earth n a mission to clean and feed about 20,000 endangered penguins, oiled b leaks from a ship that ran aground in rough weather. The MS Olivia spilled about 1,400 tons of fuel oil near the Tristan da Cunha island chain, a British territory roughly midway between the southern tip of Africa and far southern Brazil. The volcanic islands are home to the northernmost colonies of northern rockhopper penguins. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has been attempting to clean and feed the oiled birds with what scarce materials are available on the most remote inhabited island in the world. A shipment of ample cleaning chemicals and frozen fish was dispatched from Cape Town on March 28. But it was feared some of the birds could die over the several days it was taking for the ship to travel the nearly 1,750 miles from South Africa.
  
  
• Rhino Alert:
  Conservationists have issued an urgent warning that rising demand for animal parts in Asia has led to a sharp increase in the number of rhinos being killed in Africa. Over the past three years, poachers have killed more than 800 rhinos for their horns, which can be ground up and sold for huge sums on the black market as an aphrodisiac. More than 70 have already been killed so far this year. The International Union for Conservation of Nature cautions that the explosion in poaching is undermining efforts to stabilize the populations of black and white rhinos. Protection efforts for both species have led to small increases in their numbers over the past two decades. But the populations could once again decline if the accelerating trend in illegal slaughter is not reversed, experts warn.
  
  
• Extreme temperatures: -86 deg F South Pole, Antarctica; +115 deg F Kiffa, Mauritania.

March 28, 2011 (for week ending March 25th)

Earthquakes:

• A strong and shallow temblor centered along the Thai-Myanmar [magnitude 6.8] border killed at least one person and caused buildings to sway in Bangkok, almost 500 miles away.
• Earth movements were also felt in northeast Japan [magnitude 6.1], southwest Java [magnitude 5.4], the Philippine capital of Manila [magnitude 5.3], the Afghanistan-Pakistan border area [magnitude 5.8]. New Zealand's Christchurch aftershock zone [magnitude 5.1], Vancouver Island [magnitude 4.4], the California seaside town of Malibu [magnitude 3.3] and along the North Carolina-South Carolina border [magnitude 2.9].



Indian Ocean Storm:

Tropical Cyclone Cherono brought gales and locally heavy rain to Rodriguez Island in the western Indian Ocean early in the week. The storm's circulation remained disorganized during its brief life span.



Lava Hazard:

Indonesian officials evacuated about 600 people threatened by an eruption of the Mount Karangetang volcano off the coast of Sulawesi Island. Volcanologists issued the highest level for a volcano alert after the restive mountain spewed lava and sent clouds of superheated debris cascading down its slopes. Karangetang is one of Indonesia's most active volcanoes and has erupted more than 40 times since 1675.



Hemispheric Fallout:

Radioactive particles from the post-quake/tsunami nuclear disaster in northeastern Japan reached half a world away to the North Atlantic island nation of Iceland, diplomatic sources say. Reuters reports the radioactive material was detected at a facility associated with the comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization in the Icelandic capital of Reykjavik. "Miniscule" amounts of radiation believed to be from the crippled Japanese nuclear power plants were earlier detected by comparable monitoring equipment in California. The radiation from the particles is reported to be not nearly high enough to negatively affect human health. But radioactive contamination near the source in Japan is far more troubling. People there were urged not to eat 11 types of vegetables grown near Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant after levels of radioactivity in the produce were found to have far exceeded legal limits. Tokyo residents were advised not to let children drink tap water die to unsafe levels of radioactive iodine found in it.


• Early Spring:
  Despite a spate of bitterly cold temperatures and paralyzing deep snowfall in Northern Europe during late December and January, spring has arrived in Britain much earlier than usual. The Woodland Trust reports that hawthorns are leafing, blackthorns flowering and there have been hundreds of sightings of frogspawn (frog eggs). "It won't be a record-breaker, but will be another of the recent early springs," said Tim Sparks, of the University of Cambridge and founder of Nature's Calendar. Parkland around London emerged in glorious color as temperatures soared into the low 60s on the first official two days of spring.


• Whaling Surrender:
  Japan's whaling fleet returned home in failure after recording an all-time low for the country's whale slaughter. Due to obstructive actions by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, the four-vessel whaling fleet killed only 170 minke whales against a quota of 850, and only two fin whales against a quota of 50. Among Sea Shepherd's tactics were placing their boats in front of whaling ships, attempting to carry out citizen's arrests of the Japanese crew, and heaving stink bombs into the vessels. The confrontation was highlighted by the Animal Planet TV series "Whale Wars." Japan has hunted whales since 1987 for what it says are scientific research purpose. In a statement that coincided with the whaling fleet's return, a spokesman said "research" this year (while hunting in the Southern Ocean) reconfirmed high pregnancy rates of female minke whales, a sign of the species' abundance.
  
  
• Just Like Homemade:
  Chinese scientists announced the development of genetically modified dairy cows capable of producing milk with the characteristics of human milk. Human milk is easier to digest than that from normal dairy cows, and contains nutrients that can help boost the immune system as well as improve the central nervous systems of children, the researchers say. Li Ning, director of the State Key Laboratories for AgroBiotechnology at China Agricultural University, says they have successfully created a herd of more than 200 cows capable of producing the human-like milk. "In ancient China, only the emperor and the empress could drink human milk throughout their lives, which was believed to be the height of opulence," Li told the official Xinhua News Agency. "Why not make that kind of milk more available for ordinary people?" He describes the taste of the GM milk as "stronger" than typical dairy milk. Li predicts that within 10 years, "people will be able to pick up the human-milklike products at the supermarket."
  
  
• Extreme temperatures: -83 deg F Vostok, Antarctica; +111 deg F Matam, Senegal.

March 14, 2011 (for week ending March 11th)

Earthquakes:

• One of the world's worst quakes on record rocked Japan and sent devastating tsunamis sweeping inland along the country's northeastern coast. The 8.9 magnitude temblor was preceded and followed by other strong quakes.
• At least 25 people perished in a strong quake centered near China's border with Myanmar [magnitude 5.8].
• Earth movements were also felt in the southern Philippines (5.4), New Zealand's South Island [magnitude 4.8], far northern Chile [magnitude 6.2], and Anchorage, Alaska [magnitude 3.7].



Hawaiian Lava:

The floor of the Pu'u O'o crater at Hawaii's Kilauea volcano collapsed, sending fountains of lava shooting up to 65 feet in the air. Scientists at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said the floor of the crater dropped 377 feet, cracking open a fissure and allowing the lava to spew. Kilauea has been in a constant state of eruption since 1983, but such surges of lava are rare.



Quickening Melt:

Vast ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica are melting much more rapidly than predicted by climate models, according to scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. Their NASA-funded study used two separate satellite observation systems over the past 20 years and found that the melting is accelerating. Writing in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, researcher Eric Rignot says the Greenland-Antarctica melt is overtaking ice loss from mountain glaciers and other ice caps as the dominant influence on sea level rise. He adds that if the ice cap melting trend continues unabated, it could add 5.9 inches to the already predicted 6.6 inches f rise in the global sea level by 2050 due to other climate change influences.



Early Blooming:

Tiny plants that provide the base of the marine food chain are blooming up to 50 days earlier each springtime in some areas around the North Pole, researchers say. Scientists at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography found that the early blossoming has occurred roughly where recent record melting of sea ice has created large gaps for sunlight to reach the phytoplankton. Writing in Global Change biology, the researchers wrote that the spring bloom provides a major source of food for zooplankton, fish and bottom-dwelling animals. They add: "The trend toward earlier phytoplankton blooms can expand into other areas of the Arctic Ocean and impact the whole food chain."


• Long-haul Veteran:
  The oldest known wild bird in the United States has given birth once again at the golden age of at least 60, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. While no spring chicken, the Laysan albatross named Wisdom is currently raising a chick at the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge in the Pacific islands. The bird has worn out five bird bands since the first one was placed on her while incubating an egg in 1956. Since she needed to be at least 5 years old at the time in order to have bred, wildlife experts believe she is likely to be in her early 60s. Wisdom has probably raised at least 30 to 35 chicks during her life, according to Bruce Peterjohn, the chief of the North American Bird Banding Program at the U.S. Geological Survey. And since the long-haul species log about 50,000 miles of flight per year as adults, Wisdom has probably frown 2 million to 3 million miles since she was first banded.
  
  
• Dolphins Save Dog:
  A Doberman pinscher near Naples, Fla., that became stranded on a sandbar owes its life to a group of dolphins that alerted nearby humans of its plight. Vacationers Audrey D'Alessandro and her husband, Sam, saw splashes and heard a "big commotion" when they walked outside near a canal where the dog was half submerged in a rising tide. The exhausted dog had gone missing 15 hours earlier and was unable to scale the tall sea wall he had apparently fallen or jumped off. The D'Alessandros called 911 and jumped in the water to save the nearly drowned dog. Owner Cindy Burnett of Marco Island said 11-year-old "Turbo" was recovering, and apparently had be watched over by the dolphins during most of his ordeal.
  
  
• Magnetic Shift:
  Earth's magnetic north pole is shifting from its current location in northern Canada at a faster rate than has ever before been observed. The movement could have significant impact for both aircraft navigation and some types of migratory wildlife in the decades ahead, experts warn. Hundreds of miles south of the geographic North Pole, the location of the Magnetic north pole was first determined in 1833. It seemed to barely move until about 1904, when its position began to track northeastward about nine miles per year. The speed began to increase significantly in a northwesterly direction about 1998, and now averages about 37 miles each year. This means the pole will be located in Northern Russia later this century if the movement and speed don't change.
  
  
• Extreme temperatures: -83 deg F Vostok, Antarctica; +110 deg F Birni-N'Konni, Niger.

March 7, 2011 (for week ending March 4th)

Earthquakes:

• The most powerful quake to strike Arkansas since 1969 was felt widely across the state [magnitude 4.7], as well as in neighboring Oklahoma, Tennessee, Missouri, and Mississippi. No damage was reported.
• The New Zealand capital of Wellington was jolted by a 4.5 magnitude tremor as aftershocks continued to keep nerves on edge around the heavily damaged city of Christchurch.
• Earth movements were also felt in Crete [magnitude 5.2], central Japan [magnitude 5.2], the coast of central Chile [magnitude 6.0], and eastern Mexico [magnitude 5.7].



Artificial Snow:

The head of the China Meteorological Administration assured concerned residents that the agency's attempts to create artificial snow to easy a record drought this winter have not polluted the environment. Zheng Guoruang told the People's Daily that the dry ice, liquid nitrogen, and other catalysts being released from the aircraft to seed clouds in the affected areas vaporize into carbon dioxide and nitrogen - all natural components of the atmosphere. He added that the small amount of silver iodide also used is in such low concentrations as not to be an environmental hazard. China's agriculture ministry announced that recent snow and rain in the country's northern wheat-griwubg regions helped to ease the crippling drought.



Dusty Aftermath:

Search-and-rescue efforts in New Zealand's Christchurch earthquake disaster zone were hampered by huge dust clouds, whipped up by powerful late-summer winds. Workers were forced to don respirators as they searched for more bodies in rubble left by the Feb. 22 temblor. Officials rushed to distribute emergency supplies of face masks, stockpiled in case of a flu pandemic, to Christchurch residents who needed to venture outside during the dust storm. Officials feared the winds could also stir up health hazards from human remains yet to be recovered.



Secret Gardeners:

Australia's Great Barrier Reef is being helped to survive the ravages of tropical cyclones by a clandestine, and technically illegal, practice of underwater gardening. Several tour operators acknowledge that their diving staff turn live coral upright after it has ben flipped over during a cyclone. The practice has been widespread recently in the wake of Category 4 Cyclone Yasi Since coral needs sunlight to feed its photosynthetic algae, it would die if a storm's reorientation prevented it from facing he sun. Reef officials say they take a pragmatic approach to the activity, objecting only if the coral is removed or moved somewhere else. Tour industry spokesman Col McKenzie told the Cairns Post that coral flipping is a compassionate as well as practical gesture. "You wouldn't leave it to die. It would be like leaving an animal on the side of the road and ignoring it."


• Mistaken Identity:
  A very confused elephant in South Africa's Pilanesberg Game Reserve passionately mistook a Volkswagen Passat for a female pachyderm, giving two tourists inside the ride of their life. The amorous bull, known in the park as Amarula, "started to rub himself against the car, breaking the wing mirrors and cracking the windows," said Irishman John Somer. It was only after the car had been flipped over and shoved wheels up into the bushes that the elephant seemed to realize his jumbo-sized mistake. Amarula then chased a photographer who had been snapping photos of the intimate encounter before eventually wandering off into the bush. Somer and his female passenger were mainly unharmed by their terrifying taste of an elephant ardor. Park officials said Amarula is one of the largest bull elephants in the reserve and had been in musth, a period when a rush of hormones made it aggressive and compelled to mate.
  
  
• Northern Light Show:
  A stream of charged particles from the sun rushed into the Earth's upper atmosphere on March 1, sparking a daylong geomagnetic storm that ignited a breathtaking display of the northern lights. Sky watchers in Scandinavia, Northern Ireland, Canada, and Alaska reported seeing bright ribbons of green dance through the night sky.
  
  
• The King of Stink:
  Humans stink more than any other members of the animal kingdom, at least according to mosquitoes. The discovery was made by researchers trying new approaches to combat mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue, malaria, and yellow fever at Holland's Wageningen University. While humans may think their dogs reek far more than they do, mosquitoes can sniff out human body odor from a great distance. The human olfactory attraction is far greater to the insects than with any other animal. People stink not only because of their own metabolisms, but also because of smells that come from bacteria and other creatures living on and within them. But the mosquitoes appear to be most attracted to "sweaty" smelling carboxylic acids, which humans emit far more than any other animal.
  
  
• Extreme temperatures: -77 deg F Vostok, Antarctica; +111 deg F Abu Na'Ama, Sudan.

February 28, 2011 (for week ending February 25th)

Earthquakes:

• New Zealand's southern city of Christchurch was devastated by the second strong earthquake strike within 4.5 months on February 21, 2011 [magnitude 6.3]. At least 100 people perished in the quake, compared to no fatalities during September's 7.1 magnitude temblor.
• Earth movements were also felt in Northern Sumatra [magnitude 5.2], the United Arab Emirates [magnitude 3.0], costal areas of Alabama [magnitude 3.5], and in the Arizona-California-Mexico Border region [magnitude 4.5].



Tropical Cyclones:

• The South Pacific island nation of Vanatu escaped significant harm from passing Cyclone Atu. The eye of Atu passed just east of the island chain as the storm was briefly reaching Category-4 strength.
• A mini tornado that spun up around a re-formed Cyclone Carlos damaged buildings and cars in the town of Karratha, along Australia's northwestern coast. Cyclone Dianne passed harmlessly off Western Australia.



Philippine Blast:

A fresh explosion at the central Philippines' Bulusan volcano caused ash to rain down on several cities, sending some residents to hospitals suffering from respiratory distress. One young boy died from an acute asthma attack after inhaling ash from Bulusan. Hundreds of villagers near the volcano fled as the restive mountain ended a monthlong period of relative calm. Volcanologists said the latest explosion occurred when hot debris at the peak of Bulusan came in contact with rainwater, sparking the blast.



Clinging Invasion:

Vines are growing across the tropics of the Americas far more quickly than trees in a trend researchers say will have a profound impact on the animals, humans, and businesses that depend on the affected forests. Scientists from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute found that the vines are literally choking the daylights out of the forests! Vines grew 40 percent faster than trees on Panama's Barro Colorado Island and 60 percent faster than trees in French Guiana. Similar growth spurts of vines were observed in Bolivia, Brazil, and as far north as the subtropical forests of South Carolina. Writing in the journal Ecology Letters, the Smithsonian researchers say the invading vines are sucking up soil, nutrients, and water, leaving fewer resources for the trees. Higher carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere could be responsible for the explosive vine growth. But another factor may be that the vines recover much more rapidly after logging, agriculture, and road construction strip away forest cover.



Seafood Imbalance:

The overfishing of large predatory fish during the past 100 years appears to have allowed smaller species to thrive and double in number. Researchers from the University of British Colombia found that fish like tuna, cod, and swordfish declined by two-thirds while populations of sardines and anchovies exploded in their absence. The findings were presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting in Washington, D.C. Vancouver Aquarium biologist Mike McDermid says that the loss of the larger fish means humans should change their seafood diets to include more eco-friendly fish like sardines, mackerel, sablefish, and albacore tuna.



Infant deaths:

Marine life experts say they are alarmed at the high number of baby dolphin corpses that have recently washed up on the beaches of Alabama and Mississippi. The infant deaths occurred along a stretch of the Gulf Coast worst affected by last year's massive BP oil spill disaster. "For some reason, they've started aborting or they were dead before they were born," said Moby Solangi, director of the Mississippi-based Institute for Marine Mammal Studies. Only about one or two dead baby dolphins are usually found in the area each month. But 26 infant carcasses have been recovered this year through the first three weeks of February. Since most of the dead infants were conceived last spring, their mothers may have swam for months through the massive plumes of oil pollution, and breathed in their accompanying toxic gases while on the surface, poisoning the baby inside, researchers theorize.



Cowardly Crocs:

Crocodiles at an Australian wildlife park in north Queensland were so traumatized by the passing of powerful Cyclone Yasi earlier this month that they hid underwater and stopped eating, officials said. Bob Flemming from Townsville's Billabong Sanctuary said that a dozen saltwater crocs took days to recover from the Category-4 storm, the worst there in nearly a century. Flemming said the reptiles appeared to have been far more affected by the fierce winds and falling trees than some of Australia's more carefree animals. "Things like the kangaroos - they were just ready to be fed the next morning," Flemming told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.


• Extreme temperatures: -74 deg F Oimyakon, Siberia; +108 deg F Mango, Togo.

February 21, 2011 (for week ending February 18th)

Earthquakes:

• The strongest aftershock yet of Chile's devastating 8.8-magnitude quake last February was felt widely across the heart of the country. Thousands of coastal residents ran for higher ground, fearing the 6.8-magnitude aftershock on February 11 could result in another deadly tsunami. The shaking also unleashed Andean rock slides that blocked the main international highway connecting Chile and Argentina.
• Earth movements were also felt in western Germany [magnitude 4.8], central Utah [magnitude 2.8] and in interior parts of Southern California [magnitude 3.7].



Tropical Cyclones:

• Category-3 Cyclone Bingiza slammed ashore on northeastern Madagascar's Masoala peninsula, killing five people and destroying most buildings in a small village surrounded by the island's densest tropical forests and greatest biological diversity.
• Cyclone Carlos formed almost directly over Darwin, Australia, swamping it and surrounding areas.
• Cyclone Dianne spun up off Australia's northwest coast.



Volcanoes:

• Volcanologists warned that the eruption at Japan's Shinmoe Peak could strengthen and go on for months. Residents of Miyakonojo, on the southern island of Kyushu, were urged to prepare for possible evacuations as predicted rainfall could trigger slides of accumulated ash from the volcano.
• The second largest quake to jolt Mt. St. Helens since its 1980 was felt in the area surrounding the Washington state volcano. Seismologists said the latest jolt and accompanying quake swarm were not a precursor to another eruption or more dome building inside the volcano's crater.



Feral Flood:

Australian scientists are warning that the recent flood catastrophe in the east of the country is likely to unleash a fresh wave of feral animals, which could undo decades of efforts to bring the nonnative populations under control. Steve Lapidge, from the Invasive Animals Cooperative Research Center, cautions that feral pigs, in particular, are likely to take advantage of the soggy conditions to breed. He told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. that the number of rabbits, wild dogs and cane toads could also explode as the floodwaters recede. The invasive species destroy native habitats, spread disease and compete for food and shelter with Australia's indigenous wildlife.



Wheat Drought:

The creation of two rounds of artificial snow by cloud-seeding across Northern China's wheat belt this winter has failed to ease the severe drought parching the region, state media reports. The most protracted drought in decades has prompted international warnings that china's grain losses threaten to lift global commodity prices even further. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization cautions that more than two-thirds of China's wheat crop is threatened "because of substantially below-normal rainfall this winter." China's foreign ministry downplayed the concerns, assuring traders that the country has enough wheat reserves to minimize the drought impact on the market. But in a drastic measure to help combat he water shortages, China launched a massive well-drilling operation in the worst-afflicted areas. Approximately 1,000 wells initially will be drilled in the Shandong province, then others will be bored in Henan and Hebei, officials said.


• Wildlife Menace:
  Jackals and lions have begun to kill crops and livestock in parts of Zimbabwe, leaving many villagers afraid to move freely while away from their homes. The state-run daily Herald reports cotton farmers living under the jurisdiction of chiefs Nemaatombo and Nyamhunga say jackals are devouring their crops just as the cotton is entering the boll stage. Night patrols organized to repel the aggressive raiders have proved to be no match for the jackals, according to local farmers. Meanwhile, lions are striking fear in the country's western district of Hwange, where dozens of cattle and goats have been killed by the carnivores, sometimes in broad daylight.


• Prairie Exhibitionism:
  Captive prairie dogs appear to enjoy being watched by humans, and more frequently kiss and cuddle while being observed, researchers found. Adam Eltorai and colleagues from Washington University in St. Louis documented the behavior of black-tailed prairie dogs inside the St. Louis Zoo. They found that the larger the human crowd watching them, the more the highly social kissed and exhibited other affectionate behavior. The burrowing grassland rodents, native to North America, have similar styles of greetings as humans. They tough their lips together, and sometimes even make contact with their tongues. REcent studies have found that they also communicate in elaborate language that can describe in great detail what different humans look like.


• Extreme Temperatures: -75 deg F Oimyakon, Siberia; +109 deg F Vredendal, South Africa.

February 14, 2011 (for week ending February 11th)

Earthquakes:

• A broad area in eastern India and northwestern Myanmar was jolted for up to a half-minute by a 6.4-magnitude quake centered near the border between the two countries. Several buildings around the epicenter developed cracks from the strong shaking.
• Earth movements were also felt in Bali [magnitude 5.7], metropolitan Tokyo [magnitude 5.2], southern Bulgaria [magnitude 3.0], Alaska's Kodiak Island [magnitude 4.5], northwestern Washington state [magnitude 3.2] and along the coast of northwest California and southwest Oregon [magnitude 5.2].



Tropical Cyclones:

• Storm-force Cyclone Zaka became the seventh cyclone in the South Pacific to develop so far this season. But it remained far from any significant land areas between Tonga and northern New Zealand.
• Cyclone Bingiza spun up off the northern tip of Madagascar. Forecasters predicted it could reach Category 2 strength.



Icelandic Warning:

Renewed rumblings due to rising lava beneath Iceland have caused geologists to become concerned that another large-scale volcanic eruption may soon occur. Geophysics professor Pall Einarsson told Icelandic TV that the area around Bardarbunga appears to be the focus of the volcanic swarms. But he complained that the lack of coverage from existing sensors, and the vast glacier covering the volcanic field, make it difficult to pinpoint just where the eruption might occur. Bardarbunga was the site of a violent eruption in 1477, and last erupted in 1910. Bardarbunga is far larger than the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, which shut down most of Europe's airspace last year due to its massive plumes of ash.


• Cocain vs. Rain Forest:
  The cultivation of coca bushes, the raw material in the production of cocaine, is accelerating the destruction of Colombia's rain forests, according to a new study. Writing in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, Stony Brook University assistant professor Liliana M. Davalos says the finding emphasizes the need to establish larger protected areas to preserve diversity. Davalos analyzed data from 2002 to 2007 on how coca cultivation was leading to the destruction of the rain forest. Colombia accounted for about 5 percent of the world's illicit coca trade in 2000, and about 60 square miles of forests were being replaced with coca cultivation each ear by 2005, according to the study. This is the first time that the extent of deforestation from coca cultivation destined for the global cocaine market has been determined.


• Gorilla Twins:
  East African wildlife rangers discovered the rare birth of twins in the population of endangered mountain gorillas, which currently number fewer than 800. Twin births have only been reported five times over the last 40 years of monitoring the primates, according to a report in the Rwandan daily New Times. Wildlife veterinarians and park rangers monitoring the newborns said the twin males and their mother were in good health. The births occurred in the Rwandan sector of the gorilla habitat, which straddles three countries, including neighboring Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Last year's gorilla census revealed a 26 percent population increase over the previous seven years, despite ongoing civil unrest and poachers/rebels slaughtering nine of the gorillas inside of the reserve.


• Hog Wild:
  A burgeoning feral hog population in South Florida has sent hundreds of the wild pigs rooting through the lawns and expensive landscaping of fashionable homes in two neighborhoods near Palm Beach and Ft. Lauderdale. The Sun Sentinel reports the animals are reproducing at a rapid rate in the neighboring Everglades, and recently crossed a dried-up canal to dig up lawns in search of food. "They would just start rooting, and their nose is like a bulldozer," Palm Beach Gardens resident James Moser told the paper. Feral hogs have nearly the highest reproductive rate of any large animal on Earth. The ancestors of those currently populating Florida could have originally been brought in as early as 1539 by spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto.


• Starving Raider:
  A return to bitter New England winters more typical of decades past has led one owl to resorted to raiding chickens in a Maine barn. The starving barred owl was captured in Bethel, where it had been decapitating one chicken a day, flying off with the heads. Wildlife biologist Chuck Hulsey told the Lewiston Sun-Journal that owls are having a tough time finding food due to the deep snow and ice. "Chickens are too large for a barred owl to carry off, so it just chews the head off and leaves with the head; not a whole lot of nutrition," Hulsey told the paper. The bird was taken to a rehabilitation center where staff said it was near death from hunger. Biologist Judy Camuso said that many of the animals on the owls' diet, like squirrels and voles, live under the snow and recently have been out of reach to birds of prey.


• Extreme Temperatures: -70 deg F Oimyakon, Siberia; +110 deg F Abu Na'Ama, Sudan.

January 24, 2011 (for week ending January 21st)

Earthquakes:

• A 7.2-magnitude seismic jolt beneath southwestern Pakistan damaged about 200 buildings near the sparsely populated epicenter region as it rocked South Asia from the Persian Gulf to India. No injuries were reported.
• Earth movements were also felt in South Australia's Eyre Peninsula [magnitude 3.9], New Zealand's Canterbury aftershock zone [magnitude 5.1], southern Sumatra [magnitude 5.8], central Oklahoma [magnitude 3.4] and western Montana [magnitude 3.7].



Tropical Cyclone:

Cyclone Zelia formed over the Coral Sea off Australia's Queensland coast, then quickly intensified to a Category 2 storm. After passing just to the west of New Caledonia and skirting Australia's remote Norfolk Island, remnants of Zelia drenched a wide swath of New Zealand.



Eruption:

Sicily's Mount Etna roared back to life, bombarding its eastern slope with missiles of hot lava. Columns of ash disrupted air transportation around the Italian island. Ash from the eruption forced Catania's Fontanarossa airport to shut down overnight. The year 210 was an unusually quiet period for Etna, which last produced a major eruption in 1992.



Earth's Air Filter:

New measurements indicate that the atmosphere's ability to cleanse itself has yet to be overwhelmed by the myriad of substances humankind and nature spew into it. The U.S. agency NOAA says that global levels of the hydroxyl radical, a critical component in atmospheric chemistry akin to a detergent, remain rather stable. Hydroxyl helps clear the atmosphere of many hazardous pollutants and some important greenhouse gases, but unfortunately not carbon dioxide. An international effort led by NOAA reveals that hydroxyl levels dip and rise by only a few percent every year, and not by earlier estimates of up to 25 percent. "In the daytime, hydroxyl's lifetime is about one second and is present at exceedingly low concentrations," said Stephen Montzka, the study's lead author and a research chemist at NOAA's Global Monitoring Division. "But once created, it doesn't take long to find something to react with."


• La Nina Mayhem:
  The current record episode of the disaster-fueling phenomenon in the Pacific known as La Nina may be about to wane, according to Australian and U.S. meteorologists. The strongest cooling of the surface waters of the tropical Pacific since reliable records began in 1973 is being blamed for Australia's catastrophic flooding, and for flood and mudslide disasters in Sri Lanka and possibly Brazil since the start of 2011. La Nina-induced flooding in Panama in December forced the Panama Canal to close for the first time since it opened in 1914. Corresponding drought in parts of South America also appears to be linked to La Nina. British meteorologists say that the U.K.'s bitter winter may also be due to the jet stream bringing Arctic winds in tandem with the other atmospheric mayhem. International weather agencies predict that La Nina will persist for at least another two months but believe it has reached its peak.


• Sweet discovery:
  A citrus grower in South Africa's Western Cape province finally discovered why a troop of baboons has for years targeted a single tree among thousands in his orchards - it has the sweetest fruit. Alwyn van der Merwe, production director of ALG Estates, said the discovery will allow his farm to create a new variety of tangerine that is not only more delicious, but can also be harvested about three weeks earlier than other varieties. The farm has begun grafting shoots of the unique tree onto other root stock in the orchard. "We were lucky that the baboons' acute sense of smell led them to this particular tree," van der Merwe told reporters. "It was clearly the case of a spontaneous mutation in the orchard, which would have gone unnoticed were it not for the baboons." He also hinted that discerning primates might get the credit when it comes time to name the new variety.


• Toward Flu-less Birds:
  Genetic engineering by Scottish scientists has produces a chicken incapable of transmitting the bird flu. Helen Sang, from the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh, says it is the first step toward protecting the human and poultry populations from the often-deadly avian influenza. The genetically modified chickens are able to become both infected and ill once exposed to the virus. But they are unable to pass that infection to other birds. A gene introduced into the birds manufactures a small "decoy" molecule that mimics an important control element of the bird flu virus. The virus is then tricked into recognizing the decoy, interfering with the replication cycle of the virus. Bird flu is a health problem in many regions of the world, especially in Asia and parts of Africa, where millions of birds have died or been culled to control outbreaks. Several humans have also died after contracting the virus from infected birds.


• Extreme Temperatures: -65 deg F Kyusyur, Siberia; +110 deg F Newman, West Australia.

January 31, 2011 (for week ending January 28th)

Earthquakes:

• A wide area of Central Asia was jolted by a 6.1-magnitude temblor centered in Tajikistan. Shaking was felt across the Hindu Kush region.
• Earth movements were also felt in southeastern Iran [magnitude 6.0], western Scotland [magnitude 3.5], New Zealand's Canterbury aftershock zone [magnitude 4.0] and west-central Nevada [magnitude 4.3].



Tropical Cyclones:

• The South Pacific island nation of Tonga was battered by high winds and heavy rains brought by passing Cyclone Wilma. Crops were ruined and several buildings in Ha'apai sustained significant damage. Wilma caused light damage as it formed on Samoa and American Samoa two days earlier.
• Cyclone Anthony churned the Coral Sea between northeast Australia and New Caledonia.
• Offshore oil workers were evacuated from rigs off northwest Australia as Cyclone Bianca threatened to become a Category 2 storm.



Record Melt:

Greenland's vast ice cap melted at a record rate last year in a trend scientists say could bring a major rise in global sea level over the decades ahead. Researchers from City College of New York (CCNY) determined that the warmest spring and summer on record in parts of Greenland contributed to a summer melt greater than ever before observed. "This past melt season was exceptional, with melting in some areas stretching up to 50 days longer than average," said Marco Tadesco, director of the Cryospheric Processes Laboratory at CCNY. He added that melting last year started at the end of April and lasted until mid-September. The Greenland ice cap is more than a mile and a half deep in some areas. Scientists say that sea level would rise by 23 feet if it were melted entirely. Current estimates place the anticipated Greenland contribution to sea level rise at as much as 20 inches by the end of this century.


• Marathon Swim:
  An epic 426-mile swim of a polar bear off northern Alaska was documented by U.S. researchers, who say the long-haul journey could have been prompted by climate change. It's been known for years that the increased summertime melting of the Arctic sea ice pack is forcing polar bears to swim farther between land and ice flows to hunt seals. Writing in the journal Polar Biology, U.S. Geological Survey biologist George Durner documented through a GPS data and temperature logger how one female bear swam continuously for nearly 10 days. Durner said the journey caused the bear to lose 22 percent of her body fat as well as the life of her yearling cub. He added that the bears' dependency on sea ice makes them one of the large mammals at greatest risk due to climate change.


• Biting Resistance:
  Insect experts in Ohio say their genetic study of bedbugs reveals that the pests are evolving to survive the main pesticides currently used to combat them. Writing in the online journal PLoS one, Ohio State University entomologists found that bedbugs are undergoing genetic changes that help protect their nerve cells from specific pesticides. University of Massachusetts-Amherst researchers recently found that bedbugs in New York city are now 250 times more resistant to standard pesticides than those in Florida. The resistance has become such a problem that exterminators are now forced to heat infected rooms to above 111 degrees Fahrenheit to successfully eradicate the biters.


• Summer of the Fly:
  New Zealand bug experts say a plague of flies in parts of that country over the past month can be blamed on the same La Nina ocean-cooling in the tropical Pacific that has caused a string of deadly weather disasters around the globe. Entomologist Rudd Kleinpaste told the New Zealand Herald that high temperatures and unusually wet weather during December, which resulted from La Nina, meant adult flies hatched earlier, and in greater number. "This (warm) weather keeps flies alive nicely," he told the paper. "As long as they've got enough moisture and compost around, they're breed like, well, flies." Pest-control companies report receiving a record number of customer complaints about flies. They say that the common pesticide pyrethrum is becoming ineffective due to the warmer weather.


• Rat Eradication:
  A coordinated effort has been launched to rid the Galapagos Islands of the various species of nonnative rodents that have been brought into the famed ecological habitat on ships during the past 400 years. Th invasive pests threaten the survival of iguanas, birds, tortoises and native plants. A poison specifically designed to kill Norway rats, black rats and house mice is being distributed by helicopter on several islands of the Ecuadorean archipelago. The poison was developed and donated by Bell Laboratories and specifically attracts rodents while being repulsive to sea lions and birds. But as a precaution, hawks have been relocated to protect them from being inadvertently poisoned by the rat bait.


• Extreme Temperatures: -64 deg F Verhoyansk, Siberia; +118 deg F Tarcoola, South Australia.